It's been a busy year of launches for the Bavarians but they couldn't let it pass without slipping a few more cars for the New Year market. The three they've chosen include two likely big sellers for Irish fans and one cracking great drive. Michael McAleer, Motoring Editor, reports.
First there's the X3 2-litre diesel, the long-awaited oil burner that will undoubtedly prove a favourite for buyers of the small BMW SUV. We still can't understand the reasoning behind the diminutive mock off-roader, given that the larger X5 is so superior to it.
Yet the 2-litre diesel will prove popular, though it's particularly rough around the edges in terms of noise at all speeds. It lacks BMW's well honed ability to get the acoustics right.
The 150bhp unit offers a top speed of 123mph and a rather sedate 0-60mph time of 10.2 seconds. Prices start at €52,000. This puts a decent price gap between it and the entry level X5, which begins at €72,640.
The 2-litre unit is a world apart from the impressive 3-litre in the 535d, the latest addition to the 5-Series range and a truly awesome drive. With 272bhp on offer, it's second only to the 4.4-litre engine in the 545 petrol; though packing far more punch in terms of torque, with 560Nm. For all this performance, it offers a credible 35.3 mpg in combined cycle against 25 mpg for the 545, and, for €13,480 less, you'd need to be a diehard petrol fanatic to turn your nose up at diesel option.
What makes the difference with this engine over the 3-litre in the 530d is the use of two different turbos. Unlike other twin turbo diesels, BMW here uses a small turbo during lower revs and then calls upon a larger one at higher revs. This, says BMW, overcomes turbo lag with power accessed more smoothly. We certainly didn't note any lag, in any area.
To prove its worth the engine featured in a private entry X5 in the 2003 Paris-Dakar rally, where it managed to become the first diesel-engined car to record a stage win, and finished fourth overall. Priced at €75,200, it's at the upper end of the model range but is capable of turning the most anti-diesel petrolhead into a full-blooded fan of oil burners.
Finally, there's a new addition to the sporty 6-Series range. Despite being available with only one engine version until now and a price tag of over €108,000, sales still topped 110 in the first nine months of the year, far ahead of rivals Lexus LS430, Mercedes SL and CL, and even BMW's 7-Series and Z4 models.
So with an entry price of €94,500 and improved fuel consumption, BMW can expect to only better its position in the coupé market next year. Despite losing 1.5-litres to its sibling, performance differences are minute.
Top speed remains restricted to 155mph, though unrestricted speed is reckoned to be in excess of 167mph, while 0-60mph time is 6.5 seconds, compared to 6.1 seconds for the 4.5-litre coupe. These sort of differences make you ask why you would spend the extra €14,500 for the 645 with the same specification.
While the performance output of the 272bhp 3-litre diesel would seem a perfect fit to launch a diesel 6-Series, the official line is that "no such plans are in the pipeline". However, senior staff privy to BMW's future launches couldn't come up with a credible reason why not.
For now we have three timely arrivals from BMW who seem determined to top arch-rivals Mercedes in annual sales in the premium market here next year. If BMW can't manage it courtesy of its entry to the hot-hatch market with the 1-Series, then the new 3-Series here in Spring and a facelifted 7-Series will almost certainly do it for them.
There's also the expected arrival of an all-new people carrier from the Bavarians, promising a strong presence in the rapidly growing MPV market. Busy times ahead then for BMW.